1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to bats, and more particularly to bats combining a metal handle portion with a wood barrel portion.
2. Related Art
There are two dominate types of bats used in both softball and baseballxe2x80x94aluminum and wood. Although most school leagues allow players to use either type of bat, the Little League organization and the Major League only allow players to use wooden bats and this is for safety reasons. It is well known that players can hit a ball harder and longer with the lighter aluminum bats. Therefore, these two organizations recognize the principal safety factor associated with using wooden bats; that is, slower ball speed coming off of the bat.
However, wood bats also have a safety issue in that the handle portion of a wood bat tends to break above the players grip. This is an important concern because upon a wood bat breaking, the top barrel, or hitting, portion often becomes a projectile which may hit and injure another player or an innocent bystander. For example, testing has shown that a conventional Little League wood bat breaks, i.e., snaps at the handle, when the bat""s swinging speed reaches about 72-75 mph. This breakage is due to the fact that the wood does not xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d to the torque on the bat during a high powered swing. In contrast, conventional aluminum bats do not break at the handle. The principal safety issue regarding aluminum bats is the ball speed coming off of the bat.
Therefore, there is a need for a bat that combines the wooden barrel portion of a conventional wood bat with the metal handle portion of a conventional aluminum bat in order to take advantage of both types of bats: the safety of a wood barrel with the strength of a metal handle. There is a further need for a metal/wood bat that does not break during normal usage. There is still a further need for a metal/wood bat that ensures that the two portions of the bat do not separate during use or upon the infrequent breaking of the bat.
It also is well appreciated that baseball players have a difficult time making the transition from using an aluminum bat to a wood bat. The aluminum bats have a larger xe2x80x9csweetxe2x80x9d spot on the barrel, thereby making it easier for a player to get a good hit. In contrast, wood bats have a smaller xe2x80x9csweetxe2x80x9d spot on the barrel, thereby requiring a player to have better eye-hand coordination to get a good hit. Therefore, despite a player""s success and good batting statistics using aluminum bats, the player may not have the same level of success upon changing over to wood bats.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,214 to Cook, a bat is disclosed having a handle part formed of metal and a hitting part formed of one, two or more pieces of wood connected by finger joints. Specifically, the bat comprises a hitting member that may be a single piece of wood. The hitting member is defined as having a barrel end and a handle end wherein the handle end terminates about 1-2 inches from the knob. Therefore, in essence, the wood portion of the Cook bat is about as long as a conventional wood bat. The bat is constructed by using an adhesive to secure the metal portion over the handle end of the wood portion (hitting member). In fact, the metal handle of Cook does not replace the wood handle of a conventional wood bat, but rather, the Cook handle merely reinforces the wood handle of the wood hitting member.
Although the Cook bat appears to disclose a metal/wood bat, there are many disadvantages with the Cook bat that make it impractical to use. First, the metal handle part simply covers, or reinforces, the handle end of the wood hitting member. No matter how close the wood handle is fit within the metal handle, a vibration will occur when a player hits a ball, thereby interfering with the player""s grip on the bat. Secondly, the vibration upon hitting a ball will have a damaging effect on the adhesive connection between the wood handle part and the metal handle part. The metal and wood parts of the bat are only secured together by an adhesive and once the adhesive breaks down, the two parts will separate. Therefore, the vibration resulting from hitting a ball will break down that adhesive connection. Then, upon hitting one more ball, the two pieces will separate resulting in the wooden hitting member becoming a projectile, as with a conventional wood bat, and possibly hurting someone.
Therefore, there is a need for a metal/wood bat wherein only the barrel portion of the bat is made of wood and the handle portion of the bat is only made of metal such that all vibrational shock resulting from hitting a ball is eliminated. There is a further need for a metal/wood bat wherein the wood barrel portion cannot separate from the metal handle portion, thereby eliminating all possibility of the wood barrel portion becoming a dangerous projectile.
Another disadvantage of an aluminum bat is the knob. On a conventional aluminum bat, the knob is typically only welded on to the handle end of a bat. Therefore, during extended or hard use, the knob may break off of a bat, causing the player to lose his/her grip on the bat and the bat to xe2x80x9cflyxe2x80x9d from the player and potentially injure someone.
Therefore, there is a need for a metal/wood bat wherein the knob is incorporated into the metal handle of the bat eliminating all potential for the knob to break off and cause an injury.
The bat of the present invention solves the problems associated with conventional bats by combining a wood barrel portion and a metal handle portion, wherein the hitting portion of the wood barrel portion comprises no more than about 40% of the total length of the bat and the metal handle portion with a knob comprises no more than about 60% of the total length of the bat. The wood barrel portion and the metal handle portion are secured together in such a manner as to prevent the separation of the two portions at any time.
In the preferred embodiment, a locking pin system is used as the means for securing the wood barrel portion to the metal handle portion of the bat. The preferred locking pin system is a locking pin having a first end rigidly fixed to the wood barrel portion and a second end rigidly fixed to a knob secured to the handle end of the metal handle portion, wherein the locking pin has a length equal to about the length of the metal handle portion.
The first end of the locking pin is inserted and secured into a locking pin bore drilled longitudinally though a locking portion of the wood barrel portion. In addition, a T-pin is used as another means for securing the first end of the locking pin to the wood barrel end, wherein the T-pin passes traversely through the wood barrel portion and the locking pin. The second end of the locking pin passes through a central bore in the knob and is secured with a locking nut. Both the first end and the second end of the locking pin are further secured by a liquid adhesive or filler.
In an alternative embodiment, the locking pin system comprises a screw that, at a minimum, extends about the length of the metal handle portion and connects the knob of the metal handle portion to the wood barrel portion. In another embodiment, the screw extends the entire length of the bat.
There are many advantages associated with the metal/wood bat of the present invention. First, the locking pin system of the present invention, used to secure the two portions of the bat, provides a means whereby the inherent mechanics of the locking pin naturally pulls the two opposite ends of the bat together during a player""s swing. This is in direct contrast to the natural tendency of the two opposite ends to repel each other during a player""s swing. Therefore, the locking pin system affirmatively holds the bat together during use.
Second, upon contacting a ball, conventional wooden bats often break at the handle portion at a point directly above the batter""s hands and below the bat stamp, thereby resulting in injury to the batter or a by-stander. The metal/wood bat of the present invention eliminates such breakage due to the metal handle portion. Therefore, the present invention allows a batter to use a wood barrel portion without the fear of the bat breaking upon contact with a ball. For example, initial testing shows that the metal/wood bat of the present invention can withstand swinging speeds in excess of 105 mph without the bat breaking. In addition, if the metal/wood bat of the present invention were to break, the bat would not create flying projectiles. The locking pin embedded within the bat to secure the wood barrel portion and the metal handle portion holds the pieces together upon breakage.
Third, wood bats are used by all United States Major League baseball teams, whereas other teams (e.g., little league, softball, and schools) can typically use either metal or wood bats. Most of these other teams use metal bats because wood bats are very costly to replace when they break, which is often. The present invention provides a metal/wood bat wherein the teams can use wood bats, benefitting from the advantages of using a wood barrel portion, without incurring the additional costs associated with replacing broken wood bats.
Fourth, the metal/wood bat of the present invention provides the means by which more players can xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d with a wood bat, or at least a wood barrel portion, thereby gain the much needed experience of using a wood bat. This will eliminate the troublesome transition associated with a player switching between using an aluminum bat to using a wood bat.
Fifth, the metal/wood bat of the present invention maintains the standard length, weight, and weight distribution of conventional wood bats. Therefore, by using a metal/wood bat, once again a player does not have a difficult transition from playing baseball in school, such as in college, to the Major League.
Sixth, the wood barrel portion of the present invention may be either permanently secured to the handle portion, or may be removably secured thereon. If permanently secured, the metal/wood bat becomes functionally equivalent to a bat made entirely of wood but without the need of continual replacement. If removably secured, a batter may interchange different wood barrels with a favorite handle portion. This feature allows a batter to select a longer, or different weight bat, depending on the batting conditions, while at the same time, allowing the batter to use a specific handle portion with a specific or comfortable grip.